In 1976, he wrote that Led Zeppelin had an "insurmountable flaw" in drummer John Bonham (who has topped multiple all-time greatest drummers lists), whom he saw as "something like clinically incompetent" and responsible for marring every Zeppelin album to date. Progress Bulletin from Pomona, California · Page 17

"Queen isn't here just to entertain. This group has come to make it clear exactly who is superior and who is inferior. Its anthem, 'We Will Rock You', is a marching order: you will not rock us, we will rock you. Indeed, Queen may be the first truly fascist rock band...[I] wonder why anyone would indulge these creeps and their polluting ideas." 02-08-1979 - Jazz - Rolling Stone (Issue 284)

Blessed with Freddie Mercury's passable pop voice and guitarist Brian May, who manages to fragment and reassemble the guitar styles of Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton in interesting, if pedestrian, ways, Queen will probably top the charts until one or the other of its leaders grows restless and spins off another version. 02-24-1977 - A Day at the Races- Rolling Stone (Issue 223)

Marsh described Bob Seger's 1980 album Against the Wind as "absolutely cowardly" Against The Wind

In the 1983 Rolling Stone Record Guide, Marsh called Journey "a dead end for San Francisco area rock", and their music "calculated". He awarded every single Journey album released up to that point – seven studio albums, a compilation album and a live album – the minimum possible score of 1/5 stars. The new Rolling stone record guide

When asked about Marsh's unrelenting derision of Journey on a recent television program on which other critics had defended the band, lead singer, Steve Perry, called Marsh "an unusual little man who all too often thinks that his subjective opinions translate to inarguable fact".

Regarding a possible Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction for Kiss, Marsh said: "Kiss is not a great band, Kiss was never a great band, Kiss never will be a great band, and I have done my share to keep them off the ballot." Frontman Paul Stanley responded by calling the Hall "a sham" and "the creation of a group of industry people and critics who decide who they deem as qualified to be in their little admiration society".

Kiss were ultimately inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014; in the lead-up to their induction, Marsh said: "Musically, I was done with them before I ever turned the first album over to the second side." Paul Stanley responded by describing Marsh as "pompous", with "no clue" about music. Mediocre’ Kiss Trade Barbs with ‘Ugly Little Troll’ Rock Critic